


It Should Have Never Gotten to This Point

by lolahardy



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-23
Updated: 2012-12-23
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:56:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lolahardy/pseuds/lolahardy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur & Eames sit in a small diner, having breakfast when Arthur tells Eames he is seeing a girl named Summer. He tries to make Eames forget him & do everything he can to convince him to move on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Should Have Never Gotten to This Point

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic inspired by another one of eamesdatbooty's (dragqueeneames) gif sets

Arthur had left him.

He left him for some girl. For some plain looking, generic, run of the mill girl with one redeeming quality, her eyes. 

Eames was bitter to say the least.

He and Arthur had done their back and forth, the sniping coworkers, tentative friends-only-on-the-job, then the tentative friends, then just friends, only friends. 

Arthur laid it down that this was just staying a friendship. Fine, Eames said, he wanted nothing more either.

Gradually, it turned into friends with benefits. Anytime they worked a job or were in the same country did they seek each other out. That was the rule. 

But then the rule was bent slightly when Eames called him, somewhat drunk from Monte Carlo, Arthur in Osaka and asked to chat for a bit. They were still friends after all. The phone calls happened randomly and sometimes, Arthur called first. The phone calls set the scene for the rule to be bent. They began scheduling when to meet if it was convenient, if the red eye would bring them to each other under three hours. 

Then that became the rule.

They spoke of everything, the job, who they were working with, who was an idiot and who was worth working with again. They talked of books they read to pass the time, the last excellent meal they had, the worst meal they recent had and it was all in a light hearted, carefree atmosphere.

The sex was always good, always. Eames took great care of Arthur, especially if he met him somewhere, rumpled suit, exhausted from travel, dark circles under his eyes, it was always kissing him until he fell asleep, sex in the morning. Arthur took the same care, making Eames strip down to massage his back and shoulders until he snored lightly against the pillows. But when the heat was right and they clicked on, it was intense and passionate, leaving Arthur with colorful beard burn against his thighs, hips, stomach, chin and jaw along with an assortment of hickeys and bite marks. He gave as good as he took though.

The rule started to break when Eames felt Arthur was growing much too fond of him and it scared him because he felt the same way. He loved to wake up in the mornings to see Arthur unguarded and asleep beside him, he loved going through the domestic routine of getting ready, having coffee together in the restaurant of their hotel, sometimes in the room itself before parting ways. It stung when they had to part ways without so much as good bye, nevermind a kiss. He loved kissing Arthur. He loved touching Arthur's skin, he loved hearing his voice, hearing about his day. He loved Arthur. 

But it scared him that Arthur seemed to love him right back.

It became the pink elephant in the room, neither one would admit to it and they carried on as normal. Still, just friends.

Finally, Arthur had enough and he said it, tired of these games, of not admitting what was really obvious not only to their team mates but to each other.

"Eames, I love you."

It was a bold statement and to a casual observer, it would look like Arthur was fearless, calm and had just stated the time of day rather then a declaration of love. But Eames saw it in his eyes, his worry, his hands shaking a bit so he hid them behind his back.

"Arthur, this can't work."

It had been a stupid and panicky thing to say. He saw Arthur's hopes dying in his eyes but he shrugged and turned away as if nothing.

"That's fine."

There was so much more in his words and Eames knew he hurt him. He wanted to take it back, to say the words weighing heavily on his tongue, Arthur, I love you too. But he watched Arthur gather the bag he had brought to the hotel room earlier, gather his coat and walk to the door.

"So, I guess we're done here?"

"It doesn't have to be done."

"I'm not going to waste my life pining for someone who won't love me back."

Eames stupidly said nothing and Arthur left.

Six months later, Eames heard the rumor that Arthur was seeing some girl and it was getting promising. Doing research on his own, he found this girl, this plain and generic girl, Summer, was no one special. She wasn't part of the business, she held a desk job, she had plain dark hair, dressed plainly and smiled a plain smile. Eames was sick of her already. After some waiting, some searching, he found Arthur having breakfast in a diner not too far from his apartment. The months apart had changed the both of them. Arthur took a semi-hiatus, only working near by jobs, hardly traveling anymore while Eames went the opposite route and buried himself in work, pulling whatever job he could. He had gotten broader, lost his tan and hardly slept. He had taken a shot to the shoulder that put him in danger and all he could do while he bled out was think of Arthur. Arthur had lost a bit of weight, dressed a bit more casually but he looked tired, as if he slept more then usual but never deeply, never peacefully. 

When Eames came into the diner, Arthur was alone. He had just finished his coffee, the paper he brought with him still folded and untouched on the other side of the table. He felt Eames before he saw him and when he looked up, Eames went over to join him at his empty table. They sat across from each other, neither one saying anything first. Arthur tore apart a napkin as he looked up at Eames, brooding, tired Eames wearing a black sweatshirt, cap and fingerless gloves, chewing on a toothpick he picked up at the counter of the diner when he entered. Again, Arthur took the initiative.

"Look, Eames I'm with Summer now. Things have changed between you and I. There's nothing I can do about that."

Eames looked off to the side, annoyed at his words, annoyed that once again, he couldn't say something when the opportunity presented itself. Finally, he pulled the toothpick from his mouth and looked at Arthur.

"So what do you expect me to do?"

"I think you should move on. Eames, you'll be so much happier without me. Look what I'm doing to you."

It was a punch to the stomach and he was unprepared. He was left winded and now angry. He chewed on the toothpick after replacing it in his mouth and glared the table between them. Arthur referred to Eames being happier without him, meaning he wouldn't have him to pressure Eames into a relationship, into anything really. Them just talking right now was enough to drive Eames to rage and Arthur pointed it out as well. 

But he wasn't right.

If Eames was angry at anyone, it was at himself for doing this, for letting it go on as long as it had, for giving Arthur up in the first place. He leaned over the table, removing the toothpick again as he looked at Arthur, dead in his eyes as he said,

"You don't get it do yah? You think I'm going to give up this easy? You think I'm gonna give up cause some chick you barely met has you now? No, no...I'm not gonna do that."

It was the most honest thing he had ever said to Arthur. But Arthur took a moment to look at him, studying him before he replied.

"You gave up easily before."

Eames sat back, fingers tapping on the table before he looked back at Arthur.

"I should have never...I should have never let you walk out of that room."

"What difference would it have made if you didn't? You don't love me."

"I do."

Now Arthur was sucker punched. He swallowed hard, shaking his head.

"Don't do this."

"I do. I love you, Arthur."

He shook his head, turning away from Eames, looking at some distant point while Eames looked at him.

"You waited...all this time..."

"It should have never gotten to this point."

"But it did."

"If you turn me down and tell me to go, I will, I'll go. But you gotta know, I won't give up. Not again. I'll wait for you. I'll wait for as long as it takes."

Arthur turned back to him.

"You don't have to wait."


End file.
